Preference is The Honest Kitchen's meat-free & grain-free recipe! Preference is suggested for use with added raw meat, meaty bones or cooked meat of your choice (never cooked bones), as a base for a home made diet. This diet contains a custom vitamin-mineral premix with balanced calcium: phosphorus ratios, which are vital for the maintenance of healthy cells, bones and blood. This recipe is ideal for dogs who are sensitive to more popular meats; exotic meats, fish or alternative protein sources may be used as required.

4 lb. Box contains approximately 16 cups of food

10 lb. Box contains approximately 40-43 cups of food

Honest Kitchen uses eco-friendly packaging! A fine, recyclable 'minimalist' and unprinted barrier bag that efficiently protects the food inside helps reduce materials usage and waste. The bag is enclosed in a 100% recycled box made from unbleached kraft paperboard. The box is printed with soy-based inks and the finished product is 100% biodegradable or recyclable again after use, too.

The Honest Kitchen makes wholesome, natural food for dogs using gentle dehydration, a unique new approach to canine nutrition. These foods help you create delicious and nutritious meals made with real, recognizable, and human-grade ingredients that are ready to prepare and serve at home. Simply add warm water to rehydrate, and you have a complete meal with USDA meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, organic flaxseed, herbs, vitamins, minerals.

The Honest Kitchen's dehydrated food offers many of the benefits of a biologically appropriate raw pet food diet, combined with the convenience and peace of mind of a nutritionally balanced, ready-blended product. Dehydration simply removes the moisture, which prevents decomposition. As an ancient form of preserving food, virtually all of the nutrients are left intact. This is a much "fresher", and therefore healthier, approach than the extrusion process that dry kibble undergoes. See below for a description of each formula.All of Honest Kitchen's dog food and dehydrated raw dog food products are formulated to meet the AAFCO nutrient profiles for dogs and you don't have to add anything to make them 'complete'. However, the original idea behind these diets was as a base for a raw or other fresh homemade diet and to facilitate that, they are somewhat 'lite' in terms of fat and protein, so that your own choice of raw, or cooked, meat can be added, if desired.

It is entirely a matter of personal choice (and your dog's taste!) whether you add in extra meat and other ingredients, or not. Most people with younger and more active dogs like to mix in the additional meat, and those with senior or overweight animals usually prefer to feed the organic dog food alone. The Honest Kitchen supplies pet owners with the best in fresh dehydrated raw dog food and other organic dog food products.

About Dehydration

Dehydration or drying, is one of the oldest and gentlest methods of food preservation. Food dehydration works by removing only the water content from the ingredients. All other nutrients remain, and become highly concentrated. Dried foods are extremely nutritious, easy to prepare and store, and light weight to ship.

Because dehydration takes place at moderate temperatures, the ingredients are still considered raw. The only exceptions are the meat and egg ingredients, which are dehydrated at high enough temperatures to kill any bacteria present and are therefore essentially considered 'cooked'. This is because they must be human-edible grade, to enter our manufacturing facility.

The removal of moisture prevents enzymatic activity, which can lead to browning and decomposition of foods, and also prevents the growth of bacteria, yeast and molds. Dehydration does not actually destroy or kill the food enzymes, as occurs in baking and freezing or high pressure processing such as extrusion. Enzyme activity in dehydrated foods is simply suspended, until the food is rehydrated.

A remarkable example of the way dehydration preserves without destroying, is in Africa, where scientists have discovered live fish being hatched from fish eggs, that have been dehydrated in the sun, during droughts that sometimes last for years. When the rains fall, the lakes and rivers refill with water to rehydrate the eggs - and live fish emerge. The eggs are actually preserved and remain viable throughout the natural dehydration that takes place.

Each cup of Preference should be rehydrated with 1.25 to 1.5 cups of pure, warm, filtered or tap water, or boiled water that has been allowed to cool.

Add the water to the food and stir well. The product will initially resemble soup.

Let stand for 10 minutes for the ingredients to rehydrate sufficiently.

Add your own meat or fish before serving.

Stir again and serve.

Any leftovers should be refigerated or discarded.

Feeding Guidelines

The following suggested dry-measured amounts should be adjusted to suit your own dog's unique nutritional requirements, which will vary according to age, breed, level of activity and what other ingredients are added.

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The reviews below are presented for informational purposes only and are not intended as an endorsement of any product. The information is not intended to be a substitute for visits to your local veterinarian. Instead, these testimonials offer the reader information and opinions written by pet owners and/or veterinarians concerning animal health and products that they have used.

I firmly believe that The Honest Kitchen is the best food you can give your dog. It's all human food, made in a human grade food facility. Yes, it's a pain to mix together. But I just I mix about a weeks worth ahead of time and refrigerate it. You do have to add a meat source to preference because it doesn't have any, which makes it good if you are testing for food allergies. Within 3 weeks I saw a huge improvement in my dog's coat and overall energy level. I can't say enough positive things about this food.

My 13 year old Lab had a vestibular attack and had bad gastrointestinal problems. I took her to holistic vet and she gave us a sample of Preference. I didn't think my girl would eat it but she LOVES it. Her tummy problems are gone and she is doing great.

I bought this for my slightly overweight Doberman (Neiman) who was diagnosed with cancer, because I want to provide him with a grain-free diet. I was nervous about the strong "green" smell when I first opened the bag, but Neiman gobbled it up right away. After a month of using this food, to which I add shredded chicken (cooked in crock pot every few days), he continues to be eager for each meal. He has also lost most of his chub, so my senior dog is looking as svelt as any youngster!

My dog was diagnosed a with a horrible yeast infection and food allergies a few months ago. She was put on meds and did get better. I was feeding her a limited ingredient diet. I did a ton of research on yeast and all the info said not to feed meds and to feed raw! My head was spinning. My dog ended up getting sick from the last dose of the anti-biotics so I had her on cooked ground turkey, pumpkin and a bit of rice. I started to re-introduce her old food which was a lamb based formula. I noticed that the more of her old food she ate, the itchier she became! I sent an email to The Honest Kitchen asking about foods good for allergies and yeast. They sent several samples the next day and the Preference suited her best. I have been feeding her Preference for almost a month and she is no longer itchy. I like the fact that you can add whatever you like. She loves loves loves it! I am so happy to have found this product. It is a bit expensive, but I know it is the best for my girl.

About a year ago we decided to feed our Pyrenees/Anatolian completely raw, but we needed to make sure she would receive all the proper nutrients, that's when we were introduced to Prefernce. It took a while for her to get use to it, but I slowly kept adding more and more until she had the correct amount. I mix the prepared Preference with green tripe and ground chicken, turkey or beef, beef heart and occasionly berries every morning. It is amazing the differnce this diet has made to our dog. She is one very happy Guardian Dog!

One of my two schnauzers had digestive issues & I tried many different foods trying to find one that one work for him. An animal behaviorist that I worked with recommended The Honest Kitchen about a year ago & I've been very pleased. Both of my dogs are doing very well on it & they love it. It's very easy to fix & they offer a lot of varieties.